How to Perform Umrah: A Step by Step Guide

Madeeha Batool

October 7, 2016

Don’t worry if you are going for Umrah for first time and you are not well prepared. Procedure for Umrah is very simple and in the following post I am going to write a complete and step by step guide for you. Let us learn this holy travel in simple and easy words precisely:

Pre-Activities:

When you are preparing to travel for Umrah, first of all, take a bath, cut your nails and remove hair as you would like to make yourself clean thinking that you intend to visit the holy place of your Lord. Offer the prayer of that time with full concentration. It is recommended to offer 2 rakat extra nafl before travelling.

When you are about to be out of your home, recite the following prayer:

Note: During the travel, you may offer Duhr and Asr prayer together 2 rakat each. Similarly, Maghrib and Isha prayer is allowed to offer altogether as 3 and 2 rakat respectively.

Activity for Meeqat:

Let us practically see, how to perform Umrah. The procedure for Umrah starts from Meeqat. It is the point where the first step to Umrah begins and you have to wear Ihram now. Do intention (Niyyah) for Umrah:

لبیک اللھم بِعمرۃ

Note: Sometimes, you are not sure that you will be able to complete Umrah successfully due to some disease, in such a case, you should pray

اللھممحلی حیث حبستنی

Then, you will not be liable to pay the ransom (payment for compensation). Just cut your hair and it will be counted as a ransom.

Hopefully, you are well aware of the Talbeeh that is a special kind of prayer, you recite in the way to holy Ka’bah before Tawaf, i.e.

One of the key part of Umrah is Tawaf which means to take rounds of the Holy Ka’bah seven times and of course, you need to do ablution before this act. During Tawaf, men are required to wear Ahram (a particular dress) with the right shoulder bare. It is known as “Idtiba’a”. When they are done with Tawaf, they should cover the shoulders again.

Women have to cover whole body with the stitched dress and cover head as well. Note here that head should be covered such that the cloth does not touch her forehead, otherwise, she will be liable to pay Jaza (payment for compensation).

All the passengers travel to Jeddah and Madinah are mostly advised to wear Ahram from the departing airport as sometimes it is not very convenient to wear Ahram during the flight.

Now when you are going to the Black Stone called “Hijra e Aswad”, say

بسم اللہ، ِ اللہ اکبر

Kiss this holy Stone or touch it or face it pointing your right hand towards whatever is possible for you. Being a man, you have to make first three rounds fast called “Raml” and the rest of four Tawaf rounds are to complete with normal walking speed.

Women are not allowed to do Raml like men. If they follow men, it is wrong. Women should select such time for Tawaf when number of men is less and they can keep distance from them. Similarly, they do not need to kiss or touch the Black Stone. Just the symbolic Istilam is enough.

After reaching the Yamani corner, read again بسم اللہ، ِ اللہ اکبر and touch it with the right hand. If you cannot do so, carry on, say nothing and avoid pointing out. While moving to the Hijra e Aswad from the Yamani corner, say the following Qura’nic prayer:

ربنا اتنا فی الدنیا حسنۃو فی الاخرۃحسنۃ و قنا عذاب النار

One round completes when you are back to the Hajra e Aswad again. Repeat the next six rounds in the same way. During Tawaf, you can say any prayer, wish, Ayaah or supplication.

Maqam e Ibrahim:

Next step is to move to Maqam e Ibrahim. Here, you have to recite the Qura’nic prayer given below:

واتخذوامِن مقامِ ابراہیمَ مُصلی

Now, offer 2 rakaat near Maqam e Ibrahim or anywhere in the holy mosque. The preferable set of Surahs after Fatiha in 1st and 2nd rakat is Surah e Kafiroon and Surah e Ikhlaas.

Visit Zam Zam:

At the 6th step of Umrah, you have to visit Zam Zam well. Drink Aab e Zam Zam after prayer and darood sharif and pour it on the head as well. Come back to Hijra e Aswad. Touch it like you did earlier and if it is not easy, do not do anything.

Seven Rounds of Sai:

This is the 7th step of your Umrah in which you will forward to Sai and leave the mosque. Say the same prayer that you recite while leaving any mosque, i.e.

Compliment Allah and the last Prophet (Peace be upon Him) and pray whatever you desire. Pray for the well-being of you and your family in both worlds. Now, move down from Safaa and proceed to Marwah.

There, you will see a green sign where men have to walk briskly, but without running. When you come across the next green sign, walk normally. At Marwah, do the same steps as on Safaa. You are done with the first round. Carry on until all of your seven rounds complete. Feel pleasure by heart. Between Safaa and Marwah, pray and recite verses as much as you can.

Women will not run between Safaa and Marwah. They should only keep walking along the railing.

If a couple is performing Umrah together, husband and wife, both should follow instructions for them separately. A wife cannot follow her husband at every step. Only the steps where both have same rules can be done together.

Shave Your Hair:

In the last step of Umrah, you are advised to shave all your hair, but there is no compulsion. You may also cut it. Women are recommended to cut a part of their hair in the size of a fingertip.

Congratulations! You have completed all the steps of Umrah successfully. May Allah accept your Umrah and all the prayers you do over there. We hope that you, now, understand how to perform Umrah.

Note that you can perform Umrah more than once on the same trip, because the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon Him) did not forbid to do Umrah repeatedly. Hazrat Ayesha (RA) performed Umrah two times in a single month. It is rather a beautiful way to expiate sins done in between the time lapse of two or more Umrahs. However, it is recommended by the scholars to give a gap of 10 days or 1 week between two Umrahs. The reason of this gap is that your hairs again grow and can be shaved.

The purpose of the prayer is to keep ourselves in touch with Allah, to make a strong relationship with him, to be thankful for his blessing. Just like our body needs food and water, our soul has spiritual demands which can only be fulfil by remembering him.

Acknowledging the importance of prayer in a muslim’s life, mehman.shop is providing Travelling Prayer Mats, Tasbeehs, Prayer Caps and Azan Clocks. We also have variety of miswaks such Peelu Miswaks (available in different sizes), Olive Miswaks (Siwak-e- Aswad)